1. Field
The present invention relates to communication networks and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for enabling commuter groups.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many people commute to and from work on a daily basis, often taking the same route or selecting between a few alternative routes. Although some people are lucky to have relatively short commutes, it is not unusual for commuting times for commuters to approach or exceed one hour each way each day. Similarly, people may commute to a particular event such as a hockey game, football game, or concert, and thus need to be at the same place at approximately the same time which may cause congestion in the vicinity of the event.
Various proposals have been made to make commuting more efficient. For example, several people have suggested tracking cars using GPS to provide up-to-the minute information on commute times along various routes in an area. Users of the system could then have access to this information to enable them to make decisions as to which route would be the best. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication 2003/0208313 teaches a method of estimating real time traffic speeds using data from moving vehicles. The speed information and commuting time along various routes may be delivered to drivers over cell phones or Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). Similarly, U.S. Patent Application Publication 2005/0288046 teaches a traffic notification system that includes a location determination system (of the user's car) and automatically notifies the user of traffic conditions. As another example, U.S. Patent Application Publication 2003/0100993 teaches a system that will analyze commute data and determine which commuters have similar start and end-points, and compute a set of routes to be used by those users.
Although all of these systems are able to generate route data, they do not change the fact that many commuters will be required to endure long commute times. Since a large proportion of commuters ride to and from work alone, commuting time is not conducive to social interactions. To the contrary, aggressive drivers and tension between drivers may frequently make the commute more difficult than it would otherwise need to be. Additionally, traffic congestion in the area surrounding an event may cause the experience of reaching the event to be negative, thus affecting the perceived value of attending similar events.